


Learning Together

by shawol9196



Category: SHINee
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-02 21:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13326933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shawol9196/pseuds/shawol9196
Summary: Minho is a kindergarten teacher at a small school. Kibum is hired halfway through the year as a replacement art teacher. Friendship blossoms and they both find they have something to learn from the other.





	1. First Day

“Have you seen the new art teacher?” Kyuhyun asks. He’s got two cupholders of coffee in his hands so Minho takes one before answering.

“Not yet. Why, is there something I need to know?” he closes his planner, knowing full well that any time he had had to review his lesson plan for the day was now gone.

“Not that I know. You know I’m not good at the people thing,” Kyuhyun shrugs.

“And yet you still became a teacher. Fascinating.”

“Hey! Don’t forgot who bought you that coffee! Anyway, Leeteuk is parading him around so everyone knows him before they get there. Suho said something about him seeming like your type when he did the group interview and from what I saw of him I mostly agree. Just to give you a heads up. Also Chang says hi and to not forget it’s wine night.”

Minho laughs. At the sound of Leeteuk’s voice, Kyuhyun leaves. No sooner does the door finish closing when it’s opened again.

“Minho, this is Kim Kibum. He’s the new art teacher and guidance counselor. I thought it might be good to introduce him to everyone who wasn’t on the interview committee,” he explains.

When finally properly looks at Kibum, he’s glad that Kyuhyun came by this morning.

 

By the time his students start arriving, Minho’s had enough time and coffee to collect himself. He finishes checking his mini-lesson set and starts wiping down tables when he hears the first little knock on his door. He opens it and his three favorite girls, Seola, Sooah, and Yeri all come running in with what he assumes are pictures for him to put on the wall.

“Mr. Minho! Look! I drew you a picture of my cat!” Seola says first.

“Wow, that’s so good, Seola! Can I put it on the wall?”

She nods enthusiastically and after handing Minho her paper, pushes Sooah to show hers.

“What did you make, Sooah?” Minho asks, knowing she needs a little more encouragement than her sister.

“I wrote you a letter,” she says shyly.

“That’s so nice, Sooah. I’m going to put it on my desk so I can read it later, ok? What did you make, Yeri?”

“I drew you a pizza!!” Yeri exclaims, putting the paper as close to his face as her small arms can reach.

“Woah! That’s a good looking pizza! Did you have pizza for dinner yesterday?”

“No, but I wish that I did.”

Minho laughs, taking the picture.

“I wish I had pizza yesterday too. Is it ok if I put your picture up with Seola’s?” he asks, already knowing the answer.

 

Morning lessons go smoothly -- or rather as smoothly as kindergarten can go. Most of the morning has been spent talking about things that the children like, dislike, and don’t know if they like. When his timer goes off signalling its time for art, Minho’s suddenly shy at the thought of seeing Kibum again. He tells the children to put their things in their cubbies so they can walk over.

“Alright class. Remember how I said last week that there was going to be a new art teacher? Today is his first day so I want you to be nice to him, ok? I have stickers with your name on them so he can know who you are, so please try to keep them on.”

As they line up, Minho gives them their nametag, helping them put it on their shirt as needed. Seoeun, who’s had a good morning, gets to be the line leader; Seojun, who’s had a less than stellar morning, gets to walk in the back with Minho. He prays that there won’t be a meltdown between the twins and is pleasantly surprised when they make it to the art room without a single whine from anyone. When they all get inside the room, Minho stands in the doorway.

“This is Mr. Kibum. Please try to listen to him and have a fun time ok? I’ll see you when your projects are done!”

Kibum waves and introduces himself again. He beckons Minho over.

“So the first two teachers didn’t give me any warnings and Mr. Leeteuk didn’t really give me time to ask anything before. Is there anything I should know beforehand?” he whispers, looking a little shaken.

“They’re mostly a good bunch. Seola, Sooah, and Yeri are loud but harmless as long as you let them sit together. Chanyeol can be loud and clumsy but he means well. Seoeun and Seojun might fight but should be ok if you mildly separate them. If it gets to be too much, I’ll just be in the break room and I can come in, just phone me on the radio.” he explains, pointing them out. He tries to use as much of a reassuring tone as he can manage without sounding condescending. It seems like it works and Kibum relaxes a little.

“Thanks, go enjoy your lunch.” he steps away and addresses the class. “Okay, who likes stickers?!”

 

While Minho loves his class, he loves lunchtime just as much. He savors the quiet peacefulness of his sandwich without little hands grabbing at him. He’s halfway through his lunch when Suho walks in.

“So what do you think?” he asks, retrieving his own lunch from the refrigerator.

“I made a wonderful sandwich”

Suho laughs. “You know what I meant.”

“Do I?”

“What do you think of the new art teacher?” Suho asks as he sits down across from Minho.

“Is this his first teaching job or did the bigger kids just try to ruin his morning?”

“It’s his first proper teaching job. He did solely administrative work in his last job.”

“Leeteuk didn’t think it’d be rough throwing him in first day without at least a parent aide or something?”

“You seem awfully concerned about him, Minho. Take a liking already?”

Minho goes to answer, but is interrupted by the radio.

“Uh, Minho?”

Suho hands the radio to Minho, a smug look on his face.

“Yes, Kibum?”

There’s a pause before an uneasy “Can you come back to the classroom please?”

If he’s not mistaken, Minho can clearly hear someone trying to apologize in the background. He sighs. Seoeun and Seojun had almost made it through lunch without fighting. Though he’s sad about losing the last five minutes of his lunch break, he’s not upset about having to see Kibum for those extra minutes.

“I’ll be there in a second”

Suho continues looking smug as Minho cleans up his lunch.

“Are you coming to Changmin’s later?”

“Don’t worry, I am. I’ll see you later ok?”

As Minho walks down the hallway, he tries to listen for crying but is vaguely surprised not to hear any. When he reaches the classroom, the class is seemingly ok. He waves at Kibum from outside. Kibum motions for him to come in. He’s greeted by a chorus of loving “Mr. Minho!”s. Something is off though. Instinctively, he does a head count. Then it hits him. His class is only ten students, but there’s eleven in the room. Haechan’s older brother, Minhyung, had snuck into class again. Though Minhyung was two grades above Haechan, there was a separation issue between the two of them once the younger had started attending school. The two tried to pretend like they didn’t know what was wrong. Kibum came over to Minho.

“You only have 10 students right? I don’t know where he came from but he keeps saying he’s in this class too.” he whispers, obviously confused.

“Minhyung, you know you’re not supposed to be in here. Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

He reaches for Kibum’s radio. Kibum tries to go back to teaching the activity.

“K1 to 2.”

“This is 2, go ahead.”

“I’m bringing Minhyung to you from art.”

“We’re in the cafeteria.”

Minho puts the radio on Kibum’s desk and takes Minhyung’s hand. He hopes Kibum realizes it’s time to clean up so that he can take his class back on time.

 

By some miracle, the rest of the day goes quickly. Seoeun and Seojun manage to not fight each other and the whole class is so happy that Minho gives everyone a gold star for the day. One by one they all leave and Minho starts tidying up for the next day. There’s a soft knock on his door, and he calls out that it’s unlocked. He had figured it was Suho or Kyuhyun coming to badger him about attending wine night, even though he’d already committed four different times, so he’s surprised when he sees Kibum shyly poking his head in the door.

“Is it ok if I come in?” he asks.

Minho nods and quickly finishes wiping down the last table. Kibum comes in and stands just next to the doorway.

“Is everything ok? I know first days can be rough, especially when you switch out so many students.”

“If I’m being honest, it was a little overwhelming,” Kibum admits. “Thank you for handling that for me earlier. I thought I was going crazy!”

Minho laughs. He grabs his cooler from behind his desk and offers Kibum a water before getting himself one.

“Minhyung and Haechan have separation issues, it happens at least once a month. You’ll get used to it. Every year there’s at least one set of siblings like that.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” Minho says, laughing. “Siblings are almost always a challenge. Occasionally you get sweet ones like Seola and Sooah that get along really well, but usually its either a Minhyung-Haechan separation issue or a Seoeun-Seojun fighting situation, or a mixed feeling situation like Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.”

“Ahh. I’m an only child so I guess that’s why I wouldn’t know.”

“Is this your first proper teaching job?”

Kibum nods, taking a sip of his water.

“I worked in an advising center before but I haven’t taught a class since I got my degree. I don’t know how you guys handle it. It’s only the first day and I’m exhausted.”

“It’s a learning curve. You’ll get it.”

“Is that a teaching pun?”

They both laugh.

“It wasn’t intended, but if the shoe fits.”

“Thanks for putting nametags on your students by the way. It was incredibly helpful, even though you had the most manageable class.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. Part of it is because of the two twins. I’m glad it helped.”

Squeaks from the radio interrupts the conversation.

“K2 to K1”

Minho grabs the radio from his desk and motions for Kibum to stay.

“This is K1, go ahead”

“Are you clear?”

“Yes”

“Minho my sweet dear coworker, please tell me you have an extra pack of laminating sheets that I can use”

“I absolutely do, Sunny.”

“I have to leave, if you could drop it in my mailbox, I’ll bring you a piece of cake tomorrow.”

“Will do”

There’s a pause as the radio goes silent.

“That reminds me. Did they teach you about the radios?” Minho asks.

Kibum shakes his head, his eyes fixed on the floor as if he’s avoiding something.

“No, but it seems like there are a lot of things they didn’t properly tell me about.”

“If you’d like, I usually get here at around seven. I can try and show you around a little and maybe go over like procedural stuff that they didn’t go over with you.”

Kibum looks up and smiles.

“That’d be wonderful. Thanks, Minho.”

His phone rings and he waves goodbye before heading into the hallway. Minho finishes cleaning up, both excited and nervous to see Kibum again in the morning.

 

“So let me get this straight,” Kyuhyun starts, setting down his wine glass. “You don’t have any interest in Kibum, but you’ve already agreed, unprompted, to give up your precious lesson review time to give him a tour around and teach him how to use radios?”

Minho tries to think of a clever answer but comes up blank.

“It’s better than how we were, babe,” Changmin chimes in. “We actively avoided each other for 2 months before falling madly in love.”

Minho and Suho both roll their eyes. While Changmin and Kyuhyun had always been dating since they started meeting up regularly, sometimes they were a little too much. Even for romance junky Suho. While Minho was annoyed at everyone’s teasing, he’s glad that at least they aren’t making out.

“What are you going to do if Jonghyun is all googly eyes for him?” Suho asks, more than a little drunk.

“Jonghyun just found a new playmate. Maybe 2.” Minho replies.

“Ok. What are you going to do if Jonghyun is all hot for your man though?” Kyuhyun repeats.

While Minho usually greatly enjoys wine night, he’s just not feeling it today. Whether it’s because he refuses to have more than a glass on a school night or because of everyone’s teasing, he decides it’s time to go home. Kyuhyun and Changmin’s apartment is thankfully only a few blocks away from his own, so he doesn’t have to worry about driving. As he walks home, he finally has another quiet moment for himself. As he puts his key into the lock, he decides that he is interested in Kibum. To what level, he isn’t sure; but maybe, just maybe, he’ll allow himself to find out.


	2. Second Day

When Minho had gone to bed, he had told himself that he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of helping Kibum out. And yet, here he is, already arriving at school a full half hour earlier than normal. He tells himself that it was just because he wants to make sure he has time to go over his lesson plans like normal. As he gets out of his car, he prays that Kyuhyun and Suho weren’t there already. There’s a cough behind him as he’s clocking in and when he turns around he’s face to face with Kibum. He’s got two cups of coffee in his hands and he offers one to Minho.

“I thought I’d buy you coffee since you’re taking time to show me around and everything,” Kibum starts, rushing through the words like he has a time limit to speak. “I didn’t know how you like it though, so I just got it how I like it, I hope that’s ok.”

Minho takes the cup and tastes it, moving aside so Kibum can also clock in. He’s surprised that it’s almost the same way he likes his coffee, though there’s little less cream than he likes in his.

“Is the coffee okay?” Kibum asks when he’s done.

“Yeah. Honestly at this point I’m willing to drink coffee in almost any mix, but it’s actually pretty close to how I make mine at home. Thanks.”

Kibum looks relieved. The two enter the hallway and Minho leads the way to his classroom.

“So, if you don’t mind my asking, since you’ve done mainly admin work previously, what is your degree in?” Minho asks, unlocking his classroom.

“It’s in education, with an art minor. I just wasn’t able to find a teaching job after graduation. There was a lower administration job at the school that I interned at that I was able to catch because the dean liked me. It was basically secretary work. I’m excited to be properly teaching, but it’s been a few years since I have and it was never fully on my own.”

Minho starts setting up his classroom while he listens, trying his best to keep eye contact so Kibum will continue. He knows there’s a good chance he’ll get distracted and he doesn’t want to have to rush to set up as his students are coming in.

“What were you hoping to teach when you graduated?” he asks.

Kibum looks down and takes a moment before answering. “I honestly didn’t let myself dream that far. I just wanted to be able to teach something.” Minho thinks he sees tears in Kibum’s eyes, and for a moment he thinks about comforting him; but when Kibum quickly tries to blink them away and collect himself, he decides not to risk embarrassing him.

“What about you? What led you to kindergarten?” he asks.

Minho laughs, finishing setting up the last station for the day.

“Well, I started out as regular education with a physical education minor. I had done, and still do, a lot of volunteering at sports programs, so I thought I’d become a P.E. teacher at like a middle school or something. When I went to go start shadowing and looking for an internship, the only place open was a preschool program. When I signed up for it, I was upset since it was pretty different from what I wanted. But once I started actually being there, I realized I loved it. Way more than I liked P.E. classes. So I changed it so all my electives were in early education. My advisor always joked that i was majoring in ‘sort of early education.’ I had met Kyuhyun’s boyfriend Changmin in an injury prevention class and so when this spot opened up, they let me know about it and put in a good word for me. I’ve been here for almost 3 years now and I’m so glad I took that internship.”

There’s a knock on the door and Sunny comes in.

“Hey, Minho! Just wanted to bring back the rest of your laminating sheets. You’re such a lifesaver, I really owe you one!”

She hands the box to Minho, waves to Kibum, and leaves as quickly as she came.

“And that is...?” Kibum asks.

“Sunny. The other kindergarten teacher.”

“So there’s two of you?”

“Basically. We’re a small school, as you know. Originally there was just one kindergarten class, it was just her. A lot of parents reached out to Leeteuk, saying that one class of 20ish was ok for older kids, but with kindergarteners it’s usually their first experience being away from family so they were concerned that such a big class was stressful for them. So they split it in two, which was when I was hired.”

“Is having that many kindergarteners that unmanageable?”

“Well, no. It’s technically manageable. But having fewer definitely makes a huge difference. I’m able to spend more one on one time with them, which is helpful especially for kids like Chanyeol or Jieun who sometimes need a little more encouragement. It helps us make sure that they’re really ready for 1st grade and more proper lessons. There’s been a huge decrease in students having to repeat grades since we divided the class.”

Kibum nods attentively and Minho’s worry that he’s boring him lessens.

“Maybe it’s just because there’s a quality kindergarten teacher that the number has gone down.” he remarks. Minho blushes a little and fiddles with the empty coffee cup in his hands.

“I don’t know that I’d say I’m a good teacher, I just try my best.”

“Oh please, Minho. I know I’m new and I’ve never seen you actually teach, but your kids were the best behaved class I had yesterday. When I asked them who they were making their pieces for, half of them said their parents and the other half said you. Then they all started asking to do two so that they could give you and their parents one each. It was really cute actually.”

Minho smiles and feels pleased with himself over the story. He looks over at the bulletin board where he hangs (almost) everything his students bring in for him. It’s a little full but he prefers it that way. Kibum follows his eyes and walks over to inspect the pieces.

“Did they make these?”

“It’s all things they draw at home that they bring in.”

“Oh how sweet!”

Minho joins Kibum by the board and starts pointing out different pieces; he explains how Seoeun draws exclusively in red while Seojun draws exclusively in blue, how Chanyeol likes to draw puppies since he can’t pet them due to allergies, and how Yeri can seemingly only draw cakes and pizza. Kibum listens to everything, makes comments or laughs at each account. After a while, there’s another knock and Suho pokes his head in.

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt your art viewing, but it’s 30 minutes before students and I have coffee for you,” he says in a quiet voice. Minho wonders if Suho is hungover at all from yesterday but doesn’t ask and just thanks him for the coffee instead. When he leaves, Kibum’s silent for a moment.

“So does everyone bring coffee?” he asks.

“There’s a rough rotation schedule. We all switch off making and distributing coffee in the morning. I don’t know if you’ll be put on it since you’re also technically admin and they have a different system. You’re always welcome to some though, it’s in the breakroom. The only rule is to not leave less than a cup in there, which to me seems like it should go without saying but some people apparently need a reminder so.”

“Good to know. Anything else I should know?”

Remembering suddenly that the whole reason they had met up early was so that he could explain the school to Kibum, Minho starts rushing through everything he can think of. From radio etiquette (everyone’s code name is just the grade they teach), to parent volunteering, to Principal Leeteuk’s penchant for turning any sort of special event into a fake tv show, Minho fits everything he can into the 25 minutes. He feels bad throwing all this information at Kibum, but he seems to handle it well enough.

“If you ever forget, just come see me or radio. Everyone’s pretty nice here, but I’m definitely the rookie of the group so I remember best how it feels to be new,” he finishes.

“Well thanks for talking through things with me. Sorry I took up your planning time, I hope I wasn’t a bother,” says Kibum, making his way towards the door.

“Oh it’s no bother! Feel free to stop by whenever you like. I might be covered in small children at the time but I’ll do my best to make time for you if you need.”

“Thanks, Minho. I’ll see you later.”

Minho nods and waves goodbye. He hopes Kibum will come visit him after school or tomorrow before, so he can ask more about his background and why he didn’t have a hope for a particular class. As Kibum leaves, a familiar something purple comes into the room. It’s Yeri, with her daily piece of art.  
“Look Mr. Minho! I drew you a pizza!”


	3. Chapter 3

The remainder of the week passes quickly, though with less Kibum than Minho would’ve liked. They see each other Wednesday when Minho brings his class; he notices that Kibum seems to be more relaxed this time around. On Thursday, when Minho’s class goes Heechul for an attempt at a history lesson instead of art, Kibum stops by before students arrive to deliver the artwork for the kids to take home. It’s only five minutes, but it makes his day a bit brighter. Especially considering all the teasing he’s been taking from Suho and Kyuhyun.

On Friday, as Minho sits down to eat his lunch, he’s surprised when Kibum comes into the break room with his own lunchbox. He sits somewhat across from Minho and smiles before pulling out his lunch.

“Decide you didn’t want to eat in the admin lounge?” Minho asks.

Kibum begins poking at the salad he’s brought and doesn’t look up when he answers.

“Well, I don’t know anyone in admin yet and there weren’t any chairs available when I got my lunch out of the fridge so I came over here hoping that you were still having your lunch at this time and I got lucky. So here I am.”

“Ahh. Well I’m glad you came, even if it’s because you didn’t feel like you were welcome over there. Admin can be a little scary, mostly because they hold my job in their hands, but I’m sure you’ll find a friend over there to eat with soon.” Minho says, finishing up his chips.

There’s a silence for a while, just Minho eating his sandwich while Kibum tries to eat his salad. The radio begins to crackle but goes silent again. There’s a knock on the door and a student comes in. Kibum looks at Minho, confused on why a student is in the teacher lounge, but Minho just smiles at the boy.

“Hi Kyungsoo. Are you looking for me or someone else?”

“I was looking for you, Mr. Minho. Mr. Suho asked me to give you this.”

Kyungsoo hands Minho an envelope and leaves quietly. Kibum returns to poking at his salad; he’s eaten less than half of it and Minho’s worried he won’t finish it. Not wanting to embarrass him, he turns his attention to the envelope. He opens it to find $20 and a sticky note inside.

 

_M-_

_You were right about C/K. It was the_

_coffee shop on 5th they met at, not_

_the winery on 9th. Sorry for doubting_

_you, who’s had to deal with them for_

_four more years. Here’s your bet._

_S-_

 

Minho can’t help but laugh as he puts the note back inside the envelope. Kibum’s looking at him again, with an equally amused and confused look. “Sorry,” he says, offering a cookie from his lunchbox. “Suho and I had a wager about Kyuhyun and I won, is all.”

Kibum raises an eyebrow.

“Kyuhyun and his boyfriend, Changmin, the one who teaches PE at the high school. Suho was trying to remember where they met. He was thinking it was this winery that they both love almost more than each other, but I said it was this cafe closeby. I knew I was right, because I was literally there when it happened, but he insisted I was wrong and bet me money on it.”

Kibum laughs, covering his face with his hand so that salad bits don’t go everywhere. Minho decides he likes Kibum's laugh, and he wants to hear it again, and see it without his hand in the way.

“Wow, what a stupid bet. I wish I knew some good places to eat around here. I’ve only been here for a week so I have literally no idea where to go,” Kibum says when he finally collects himself.

“Well, if you like, I don’t know what time you’re done today but we could go to the cafe. I’m free after 4. It’s on 5th avenue if you know where that is. I don’t know what kind of food you like, but it’s a German bakery, I think? I’ve had almost everything they make and it’s all super good. Even the like, ‘diet’ options. It’d be my treat with Suho’s money.”

Kibum looks surprised at the offer, seemingly almost blushing.

“You don’t have to waste your money on me,” he starts.

“Kibum, please? It’s your first week and I want to do something nice for you. Maybe we’d actually be able to talk about ourselves a little more freely outside of here.”

“It’s on 5th, you said? I live on 7th so I should be able to find my way. Is 6 o’clock okay to meet up?”

“Yeah, 6 would be great. It’s called Kuchen, it’s right between the hardware store and the liquor store.”

Minho’s timer buzzes and he packs up to go collect his class.

“I’ll see you later, I hope the rest of your day goes better,” he says as he leaves.

*

Minho leaves his apartment at 5:30 even though it’s only a five minute walk to the bakery. While it’s never been full before, he wants to make sure that he and Kibum have proper seats. It’s been a long time since he’s been excited to meet up with someone -- friendly or otherwise -- that isn’t Kyuhyun or Suho. He’d opted for jeans and a hoodie rather than his work clothes; though everyone says he looks nice in a button up and khakis, he doesn’t think that gives a very let’s-be-friends-outside-of-work vibe. Now he hopes that Kibum comes similarly dressed. When he gets to the bakery, he orders a coffee and picks a nice booth that’s out of the way but in view of the door. He almost wishes he’d given Kibum his phone number just in case; Jonghyun, the music teacher that comes in only on Fridays, had teased him about it. Actually Jonghun had teased him about a lot concerning this situation. But either way, he’s here now and there’s nothing he can do about it. His phone buzzes; it’s still only 5:40 so he checks it.

_Suho: uhh not to be creepy, but look up._

The realization that this meeting had be ever so gently been forced into being hits Minho the moment his eyes meet Suho’s. He’s sitting at the booth so that he’s facing Minho, wearing a hoodie in an attempt to hide. He waves but Minho doesn’t return it. He should’ve known that Suho sending the money was a trick, especially since it was in the middle of the school day. His phone buzzes again.

_Suho: I’m only here in case you need an out, ok! It was Changmin’s idea!_

Minho rolls his eyes. He’s annoyed at how easily he fell for the trick but he’s appreciative of the support nonetheless. The bakery is getting busy and he’s glad that he thought to come early. Finally, Minho spots Kibum coming in. He waves and Kibum comes over to the booth. He’s relieved to see that he’s in equally comfortable clothes.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Kibum says when he finally makes it over.

“Oh no, you’re not late! I just got here early. I wasn’t sure how busy it’d be.”

It’s Kibum’s turn to look relieved.

“So is this place actually authentic or just well themed?”

“Honestly? I’ve been coming here for five years now and I still don’t know,” Minho explains, laughing. “Either way, the food is worth it and the coffee is decent so that’s enough for me.”

Kibum doesn’t respond, but simply looks around to admire the decorations.

“So, what can I get you? If you want, you can go look at the counter and come back and tell me and I’ll get it for you. I’m afraid if we both leave the booth it’ll get stolen.”

“Oh, um. I’ll just take a coffee, however you like it, and like whatever they have that’s closest to a cinnamon roll.”

Minho goes up to the counter and orders a cinnamon roll, 2 coffees, and his favorite plate of cookies. Suho comes up behind him and orders something too, but doesn’t say anything. When Minho sits back down, Suho moves somewhere else.

“So. What did you want to talk about?” Kibum asks, tearing a chunk off his roll.

While Minho had been thinking of questions the whole day, now that the moment was here his mind blanks. He shoves a cookie in his mouth in an odd effort to buy time. Kibum seems to notice and take pity on him.

“I guess I’ll start since you seem to be having a moment with your cookie. Uhm. Is this supposed to be a date or a joke or something?”

Minho chokes on his cookie.

“No! It’s not a date, I would’ve dressed nicely if it was and asked you properly. And it’s not a joke either. I respect you enough as a person that I wouldn’t do that and I certainly wouldn’t bring you to this cozy place if I was going to. Why? Did I say something that made you think that?”

“I was just making sure. It’s...It’s just been a long time since someone has done something nice for me without cause and I...” he trailed off and began tearing his roll into smaller pieces.

“Oh...I’m sorry to hear that, Kibum.”

“So what should I know about you, Minho?”

“About me?”

“Yeah. About you. You asked me here to talk about ourselves, so tell me about yourself.”

Minho finishes another cookie and lets himself talk. He starts with talking about the misfortunes of his first year teaching and the little girl that would bite him every single day until she was removed from his class; about how this is the second year he’s had Chanyeol in kindergarten and how he’s excited to see him move on but also worried about him still not being ready to start school properly. He moves on to talk about his volunteer work at the sports league for disadvantaged youth and how he loves watching his team bond together and work on building each other up. How rewarding it is when he’s able to encourage them to success. All while he talks, Kibum is mostly silent. He eats his cinnamon roll slowly and asks small segue questions but doesn’t offer any comments. Eventually, Minho hits a roadblock, not knowing how personal he should get.

“So, that’s probably incredibly more than enough about me. What about you? What should I know about you, Kibum?”

Kibum shifts around uncomfortably. He’s finished his cinnamon roll so he takes a drink of his coffee. Worried that he’s upset Kibum in some way, Minho tries to pacify the situation.

“It doesn’t have to be big things or stories like I told you. I mean, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t feel comfortable. I just...I’m just curious about you. No, that sounds creepy I’m sorry I-”

“Minho,” Kibum starts, cutting him off. “I appreciate it. And I feel more comfortable with you than I think you realize. There’s just...nothing really to say about me.”

“There’s always something. What’s your favorite color?”

Kibum tilts his head and purses his lips.

“Pink. No, not pink. Peach!”

“Mine’s periwinkle. See? That’s something.”

Kibum properly blushes this time. He looks like he’s about to say something else when there’s a shout behind him.

“MINHO!”

They both look up and Minho realizes that Suho has been joined by Kyuhyun and Changmin. The three walk over to their booth and Changmin pretends to not notice Kibum at first.

“Hey Minho, what are you up to on this fine Friday evening?” he asks, putting his hand out for a fist bump.

“It’s the end of Kibum’s first week and since I seem to have had the greatest luck out of everyone in being friendly to him, I offered to bring him here for some celebratory goodies.”

“Kibum, this is my devoted pain in the as- I mean boyfriend Changmin.” Kyuhyun explains.

The two explain pleasantries and then it’s Suho’s turn to talk.

“We were thinking about going to The Barrel in a while if you guys want to join!”

“Yeah, you’re free to come along. We have a ton of funny stories about Minho if you’re interested in that, Kibum.” Changmin says with a wink. “We’ll let you guys know when we’re headed over if you decide to come along.”

The three head to the counter to order and there’s quiet between Minho and Kibum again.

“What’s the barrel?” Kibum asks quietly.

“It’s the wine place I was talking about earlier. I think they have a few new reds today, which are Kyuhyun’s favorites.”

“Do you guys go there often?”

“We take turns between going there and going to the bigger wine collection, aka their apartment.”

Kibum laughs, then turns serious.

“Is it really okay if I come along? I don’t want to intrude...”

“Kibum, I promise it’s fine. They literally wouldn’t have invited you if you weren’t welcome. Suho’s too nice for that and Changmin wouldn’t bother. It’s usually pretty fun, unless the two of them get handsy. But that’s more so the risk of having wine night at their apartment so we should be good.”

*

Unsurprisingly, the five of them do end up going to The Barrel. They cram into a circular booth and Kyuhyun immediately orders for them. While Minho’s somewhat upset that the others interrupted, Kibum seems to relax more as they start drinking so he’s grateful in the end. Things start out light: they all talk about their weeks, how funny their students are, how this or that teaching requirement is cramping their style. As more and more wine is brought out, things get variably more bright and dark. Changmin tries to take the bright side; Minho can’t understand what he’s saying, but a rosy-cheeked Kyuhyun is laughing on Changmin’s shoulder so it can’t be that bad. Suho gets serious, per usual. He picks up his glass, sighs, puts it down. Every now and again he turns to Minho and says something vague like “I can’t believe that’s how it is” but he never explains what ‘it’ he’s referring to. Minho and Kibum don’t drink as much as the others, though Kibum does drink comparatively more than Minho. Every now and again, he turns to Minho, grabs his hand, and thanks him for taking him out for the evening. When a few hours have passed and the staff won’t serve them anymore (they have a strict drunkenness policy), Minho pulls everyone out of the booth and collects money to pay. He doesn’t ask Kibum for money, but Kibum hands him a few small bills anyway. Outside, he hails a taxi for Suho, then another for Kyuhyun and Changmin. Something tells him that he needs to walk Kibum home.

“Where do you live on 7th? How far from here?” he asks.

Kibum looks at him, sways a bit, and scrunches his face in thought.

“King’s Court. I think,” he manages after a while.

“I live at Sunrise apartments, the one on 6th. Is it ok if I walk you home, Kibum?”

Kibum nods and sets off in the right direction. Minho watches him sway and offers his elbow for him to hold onto. Surprisingly, he takes it and the two walk silently but arm in arm for the 6 blocks between The Barrel and Kibum’s apartment. When they reach the door to the building, Kibum tries to shoo Minho home, but Minho isn’t convinced that Kibum will be able to get into his apartment and insists on accompanying him to the door. The elevator ride to the 5th floor is quiet. Though he’d tried so hard to shoo him at the door, Kibum silently invites Minho in. He seems to have sobered up somewhere between the front door and his apartment door and it comforts Minho in some small way. He looks around the small apartment and realizes he’s been in it before. Three years prior, he’d volunteered in a program aimed to help repair some of the poorer apartment complexes in the area. He’d been assigned to King’s Court 5th floor. Kibum’s apartment, 53A, had been the worst of the whole lot. He recognizes the patches in the flooring and walls as his own. There’s not much in the apartment that he can see. An old couch and a barely standing table are the only visible furniture.

“It’s not a good apartment but it’s all I can afford right now,” Kibum confides, sitting down on the couch. “The move here cost more than anticipated and I couldn’t get approved for the other apartment in my price range.”

“I’m not judging you for living here. I was part of a crew that fixed it a few years ago and was just seeing how everything held up.”

“You did the repairs? To be honest, I think those few repairs are the only place holding this place together...”

Minho tries to think of a polite way to continue the conversation, but it’s more difficult of a task than anticipated.

“What are you wanting from me, Minho?” Kibum asks. There’s no anger in his voice, but there is fear.

“I want to be your friend. You look lost, reminiscent of the boys I volunteer with, and I want to make things easier for you if I can. But also because I want a friend too.”

“Weren’t we just with your friends?”

“Yes, but it’s not as simple as that.”

“Oh. Well, I think I’d like to be friends with you. When I’m more sober I mean.”

“Do you have a pen and paper?”

Kibum tilts his head as if he’s going to ask why, but gets up and finds an envelope and a marker.

“What are you writing?”

“This is my cellphone number and this is my address. If you ever need anything or just want to hang out or something, just let me know. I volunteer on Saturdays, but my Sundays are free.”

“Thank you for inviting me out tonight. It’s the first time I’ve ever gone somewhere with a friend.”

“You’re welcome, I hope you enjoyed it. I’m going to go home now, if you’re all good.”

Kibum nods and walks Minho to the door, shyly waving a goodbye. As Minho leaves the building, his phone buzzes.

_Unknown: this isnt a fak numbr right?_

_Minho:  kibum?_

_Kibum: ye! I was just testing_

_Kibum: let me no when u home_

Minho laughs to himself and quickly finishes walking home. He still has a lot of questions about Kibum, but is satisfied with the progress he made. Once in his apartment, he makes sure to text as promised.

_Minho: home safe_

_Kibum: ok. Ill let u no if im hungover tomrow._


	4. The end of a month

By the time a month has passed, Kibum is much more comfortable with his job. He knows the names of the children in each class, which teacher to call when there’s an issue, and he’s even gotten the hang using the radios. He’s also getting more comfortable with his coworkers. He can finally eat in the administration lounge and has become an important participant of wine night (Kyuhyun deems him necessary after Kibum demonstrates an unparalleled knowledge of white wines). One thing he still hasn’t gotten the hang of is dealing with emotional students. He consults Minho and Suho often about it, even going as far as to talk with Irene and Sooyoung, the 1st and 3rd grade teachers, respectively, as to what he should do. So it’s no surprise that he’s in over his head when Chanyeol has a major breakdown during art class. 

Minho is in the lounge having lunch when it happens. He’s enjoying his latest sandwich masterpiece when the radio begins to crackle.

“Uh...Art to....Art to K1?”

There’s panic in Kibum’s voice and a distinct wail in the background and even though Minho knows what’s probably wrong, he’s still worried. He starts packing up what remains of his lunch.

“This is K1, go ahead.”

“Please hurry.”

He reaches the multipurpose room in moments. When he gets there, Chanyeol is wailing, sitting in a ball on the ground, small hands pulling at his own hair. There’s spilled paint all over the table threatening to go on the floor. Kibum is crouched on one side of Chanyeol, Jaemin on the other. While Jaemin seems calm, Kibum is most definitely not; he looks about to cry. Minho feels a hand tugging at his pants. He looks down to see Seojun.

“Mr. Minho, Chanyeol isn’t ok,” he whispers.

Minho crouches down so that he’s at eye level.

“Did you see what happened?”

Seojun nods. “Chanyeol and Jaemin were painting together. We’re painting together today. Jaemin’s arms are too short to reach so Mr. Kibum moved the cups closer. Chanyeol’s arms are too long and he spilled them all and it got all over their painting.”

Minho takes a deep breath. There had been an incident like this last year too and it had played heavily into the decision to have him repeat the grade.

“Thank you, Seojun. Can you please go get the paper towels off of Mr. Kibum’s bookshelf and bring them over to Mr. Kibum?”

Seojun nods and makes his way to the bookshelf. Minho stands and walks over to where the three are huddled up. He realizes the entire class is quietly staring at them and quickly instructs everyone to keep working on their pieces, waiting until they’ve all followed directions before crouching down again.

“Thanks for coming, Minho. I can’t get him to respond or anything and I didn’t know what to do.” Kibum whispers quickly.

“I’ll take care of this if you can go back to watching the others. A continued audience is the last thing he needs.”

Kibum hesitates, then stands and begins walking around. Minho lets Chanyeol sit a minute longer before talking to him.

“Chanyeol, I’m here, buddy. Can we talk?”

Chanyeol doesn’t answer immediately, but his wails become softer. He moves his hands out of the way enough that he can look at Minho and nod.

“Do you want to talk in here or would you be more comfortable in the hall?”

There’s another pause and Chanyeol looks at the door.

“Ok, we can go in the hallway. Is it ok if Jaemin comes with us? I know you guys were working together and he might be able to help us sort it out.”

Another pause, a sniffle, and then finally a nod. Minho reaches his hand out and Chanyeol takes it with one hand, keeping the other firmly rooted in his hair. They make their way out into the hallway and Minho crouches back down.

“Jaemin, can you tell me what happened?”

Jaemin glances at Chanyeol before nodding.

“We were painting. Mr. Kibum tried to put the paint cups to the side so that they wouldn’t get knocked over but I couldn’t reach them so he moved them so I could reach. I moved them more closer because my arm was tired. I didn’t put them back when I was done with the color and they got in Chanyeol’s way and spilled all over the place. But it’s ok because I didn’t like what I painted anyway.” He lightly pats Chanyeol on the shoulder, checking to see if he’s still crying.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Jaemin. I’ve got Chanyeol, so you can go back and paint some more if you like.”

Jaemin nods and heads back into the classroom. As soon as Jaemin is in and the door is closed, Chanyeol starts crying again, though less loudly than before.

“I’m going to sit here next to you, ok?” Minho waits til Chanyeol nods before sitting between him and the door.  “When you feel a little better we can talk about what happened if you want to. You’re not in trouble, Chanyeol. We’re just going to sit here until you feel like you can talk to me or go back in the room. I know you’re upset and that’s ok. I’m right here, it’s going to be ok.” He lets Chanyeol hold his hand with both of his, holding it up to his forehead. 

In the year and a half that Minho had Chanyeol, there had been a handful of incidents like this. It always happened during group work that involved making something. He knows well enough to just let Chanyeol be upset initially, that they can talk through it later. The most important part is to physically be there and offer reassurance as he asks for it. After another 5 minutes, Chanyeol’s stopped crying.

“Are you ready to talk to me? There’s only a few minutes before we have to go back to the classroom, but we can wait to talk til snack time if you’re not ready.”

Chanyeol doesn’t respond, but continues to hold Minho’s hand.

“Let’s wait to talk until snack time, ok? We’re going to play board race when we get back to the classroom. Do you feel ok to play that?”

Chanyeol shakes his head.

“Ok, that’s fine. Would you like to sit in the quiet space instead?”

Chanyeol nods.

“Do you want to be alone or do you want someone to sit with you?”

Again, Chanyeol doesn’t respond. Minho tries a different approach.

“Tap my hand once if you want to sit by yourself or three times if you want someone to sit with you.”

After a moment, there’s a single tap. Minho’s plan had originally only accounted for having two teams of five, but three teams of three would also work. His buzzer goes off in his pocket.

“Ok Chanyeol, it’s time to go back to the classroom now. I’m going to go get the rest of the class. You can sit here if you want or you can come in with me, whichever you like better. You can walk with me on the way.”

Chanyeol nods but doesn’t move to get up, so Minho goes in the room alone. Kibum’s finishing helping them clean up, so it takes them a minute to line up. Jaemin asks to stand next to Chanyeol but Minho tells him that Chanyeol is going to be the caboose since he’s still upset so he goes to stand with Haechan instead. Minho grabs his radio out of his pocket as they assemble into their little line.

“K1 to L45”

“This is L45, go ahead.”

“Switch to channel 3.”

Minho turns the nob and waits to hear from Suho.

“On 3. What’s up Minho”

“I have a code Kappa.”

“Copy. Going back to your room?”

“Yup.”

“Give it 10 or so.”

“Copy. Thanks Suho.”

They walk back to the classroom quietly with Seojun leading the line -- his reward for helping Kibum clean up the paints while letting Jaemin make a new painting with Seoeun. Chanyeol holds Minho’s hand the whole way, hiccuping every few steps. When they get to the classroom, he tells the other children to make their teams, partially to see if they're successful at counting it out. He walks Chanyeol to the quiet space. It’s a little corner of the room; it's vaguely defined by a cloud shaped rug, there’s a few pillows, some stuffed animals, and a box with some quiet activities for them to choose from. He makes sure Chanyeol is stable and set up with a coloring book and then proceeds with his lesson. As the game goes on, Minho makes sure to look towards Chanyeol every so often, not only to verify that he was still there but also to assure him that he wasn’t forgotten about. Ten minutes and two rounds into the game, there’s a knock on the door. It opens and Suho pokes his head inside. Minho makes eye contact and nods. Suho exits and Chanyeol’s older brother Kyungsoo slips into the room. Minho waves to him and Kyungsoo nods before heading back to sit with Chanyeol.

The rest of the day goes by rather smoothly. When the game is finished and it’s time for reviewing the lessons from yesterday, Chanyeol is calm enough to rejoin the class. Minho radios Suho to let him know that Kyungsoo is headed back and is relieved when he sees Jaemin happily accept Chanyeol’s apology in the form of a batman coloring page. When the end of the day comes, Chanyeol’s dad comes to pick him up. Minho asks him if they he can stay and have a chat, hoping to mention the days incident to him, but he’s in a rush and declines staying. As he watches Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and their father leave, Minho can’t help but worry. While he wants to see him succeed and move on to the next grade, he worries that it’ll still be too much for him. After his last student leaves, he sets about tidying the room and prepping it for the next morning. An hour or so later, there’s a knock on the door and Kibum comes in. He still looks shaken up, standing quietly while Minho finishes wiping down his tables.

“Was Chanyeol ok?” he asks finally.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He just needs a little extra time and reassurance sometimes. Thankfully Jaemin was kind about the whole thing.”

“It was kind of weird, first Chanyeol needed to go out and then that fourth grader, Kyungsoo, he had to go out too.”

“Kyungsoo was in here. No one’s better at helping Chanyeol sort himself out.”

Kibum looked puzzled. Obviously Suho hadn’t mentioned anything.

“Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are brothers. I know it doesn’t seem that they would be, since they have almost complete opposite temperaments, but they are. Kyungsoo acts like he’s annoyed by Chanyeol all the time but in reality, he’s very protective of him.”

“Never would’ve guessed that.”

Minho laughs. “No one ever does.”

“So how did you learn to give him that extra time and reassurance?”

Minho pauses and starts gathering papers together, sitting down as he arranges his words.

“The very first time Chanyeol had a meltdown like that was during an almost identical project during the second week of school. He was even worse then, since he didn’t know how to deal with it. I’m talking full out screaming, hitting himself, the whole shabang. I had taken a two week crash course of sorts about special education, mostly out of curiosity, so I tried to use all the techniques I could remember from that to help calm him down. Eventually he got it out of his system. When his parents came to pick him up, I asked if he’d ever had a fit like that before. They said yes, but they wouldn’t give me any hints as to why or what to do if he had it again, like they were embarrassed by it. It was really upsetting to me, the way they ignored it. It happened a few more times after that, but then during field day I finally got the answer I was looking for. Kyungsoo happened to be nearby and caught him just as it started. Held his hands, sat with him, whispered little things to him. I was amazed. When Chanyeol was calm again, I pulled Kyungsoo to the side to ask him about it. He told me that they had a very unkind nanny when Chanyeol was younger and that even though she was only present for a few months, it’d had a lasting impact. He told me all the little things that he knew helped and gave me advice on how to help avoid situations where he’d feel that way. The admins always compliment me on my evaluations for being patient and accommodating with my students; everyone says it’s just my nature to be that way. But with Chanyeol it’s the first time I’ve ever really had to sit and be very deliberate with what I’m doing. Making sure that my actions match what I’m saying and not what I’m feeling; checking in with him during team activities; just being extra supportive. Luckily for me, Kyungsoo is always top of his class, so when I don’t think I’m enough to help Chanyeol get back on track, Suho and Kyuhyun are always willing to send him over here.”

Kibum, who’s taken a seat next to Minho, shakes his head.

“Poor thing. I know how he feels though. You’re definitely lucky to have Kyungsoo, though not as lucky as Chanyeol is.”

Minho nods.

“Have they tried putting him in counseling or anything? I know it’s hard with children so young, but it sounds like he needs it.”

“I’ve suggested it to his parents a few times and Leeteuk heavily recommended it when the decision was made to have him stay in here. They’re adamant he’ll grow out of it, but that’s not something you grow out of.”

Kibum shakes his head and sighs.

“Are you doing okay? You looked pretty shaken up when I got there. I know you’re still getting used to that part and that it is kind of shocking to deal with but still.”

“Yeah, I’m fine now. I had...I had a similar sounding experience growing up, so it was like watching little me. I definitely couldn’t have handled it by myself.”

“Well luckily for both of you I’m here.”

Kibum smiles at the comment but doesn’t make eye contact. Minho wants to ask more about Kibum’s background but isn’t sure how to. The papers get sorted and Minho’s officially ready to go home. He grabs his stuff out of his desk and Kibum follows him to the breakroom to clock out. When they get to the parking lot, Kibum turns to Minho.

“Minho, I know you already did me a solid today but can I ask you for another favor?”

“Probably. What is it?”

Kibum fiddles with the sleeves of his cardigan, obviously embarrassed and unsure of how to ask. Minho doesn’t rush him, instead waiting for Kibum to work it out.

“Could you walk me home? I think...I think I’m a little more...shaken up about it than I’m letting myself be.” He sounds unsure of himself but Minho is more than happy to oblige.

“I can definitely walk you home.”

He offers his elbow for Kibum to hold on to. Kibum hesitates, but in the end takes it. The walk from the school to the bus stop is silent, as is the bus ride and the walk to Kibum’s apartment building. He doesn’t try to shoo Minho away at the building door this time, instead holding on just a little bit tighter. When they reach the 5th floor, there’s a bright orange paper on Kibum’s door. It’s an eviction notice. Kibum unlocks the door, takes the paper down, invites Minho inside. Though it had only been a month since he’d been in the apartment, it looks significantly worse. His patches are at their limit and the telltale musty smell of mold has taken over.

“You can sit if you like, do you want anything to drink?”

“I’m ok, Kibum, thank you.”

Kibum heads to the fridge but halfway there he stops and brings his hands to his face, chest heaving. Minho walks over, takes the notice out of Kibum’s hands, and envelopes him in a hug. Kibum tenses at first, obviously unaccustomed to being hugged, but softens after a few moments. Minho doesn’t say anything, allowing Kibum to have the cry that he’s obviously needed for a while. After a fwhile, Kibum collects himself and pulls away from Minho.

“I’m sorry I just...they’re terminating my tenancy because this apartment is unlivable but I can’t afford to change to a different room this was literally the only place I could get no one else would even look at my application.” He pauses, runs his hands through his hair. “I don’t know where I’m going to go.”

“You could stay with me.”

Kibum laughs bitterly, finally looking at Minho.

“No, really I’m serious. I live alone in a two bedroom apartment right now. My roommate moved out like 3 months ago.”

Kibum chews his lip and looks at the floor.

“I can afford the rent on my own, but it would be nice to have someone else living there. It’s kind of creepy to be honest. It comes with furniture and everything.”

“I don’t know.....I dont want to take advantage of you or be a burden or anything.”

“How long do you have until you have to move out?”

“Twenty days.”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you grab some of your stuff, enough for a few nights, and come try out my apartment. If you like it and want to move in,  we can figure out some sort of rent arrangement if you want. If not, then you can just stay until you find somewhere else to go. I don’t trust you being here, Kibum. If they’re forcing you out because it’s unlivable then you need to get out of here quick.”

Kibum runs his hand through his hair again and sighs.

“Ok. Give me a few minutes to pack. I don’t have that much stuff anyway. I think you’ve seen my entire wardrobe at this point.”

“Do you need any help?” 

Kibum smiles.

“No, thanks. I’ll be quick.”

Minho nods as Kibum disappears into his room. He pulls out his phone to keep busy, laughing at the messages that pop up.

 

_Suho: linking arms? Seems a little romantic to me for a dude who isn't interested in his coworker_

_Kyu: really? Right in front of the kids?_

_Minho: the Chanyeol incident had him shaken up and he asked if I could walk him back to his apartment_

_Suho: wait are you there now???_

_Minho: yeah_

_Suho:  THEN WHY ARE YOU TEXTING US GET SOME, BOI_

_Minho: -_-_

_Minho: it’s not like that and you know it_

_Kyu: jeez suho get it right_

_Kyu: it’s ‘THEN WHY ARE YOU TEXTING US WHEN YOU SHOULD BE DECLARING YOUR UNDYING AND UNBRIDLED AFFECTION’_

_Suho: shit u right_

_Minho: he’s packing right now._

_Kyu: ????_

_Suho: did you already confess???? Are you guys eloping???? Can i be your best man at the wedding???_

_Minho: he might be moving in with me_

_Kyu: aren’t you supposed to date before you move in together_

_Minho: -_-_

_Minho: he’s living in that shitty apartment in King’s Court and I’m worried that he’s going to get sick so he’s going to try living in Donghae’s old room. It’s purely friendly._

_Chang: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 

Minho rolls his eyes. Of course they’d go there. He puts his phone away just as Kibum comes out with a backpack and a small suitcase.

“Ready?” 

“Ready as I’m going to be.”

Minho grabs the roller suitcase and they make their way out of the building. This time, Kibum’s the one who links their arms together. It takes Minho by surprise, though he tries not to let it show. They stop for take-out on the way manage to get to Minho’s 3rd floor apartment before it has the chance to get cold. They eat in relative silence and Minho wonders if he’s done the right thing. When he shows Kibum to his room he suddenly feels incredibly shy. He excuses himself to go shower, allowing Kibum to unpack. Part of him says to shower quickly, in case Kibum needs him; part of him says to shower slowly, both to clean off the day and give Kibum a breather. He initially goes with short shower, but gets so lost in his shower thoughts it ends up being a long one. He reminds himself to actually put some pants on before going back out. Though they were close enough to contemplate living together, he didn’t figure Kibum was quite ready for just chilling in boxers yet. Especially since most of his are odd novelty ones that Changmin buys him for Christmas every year. Kibum’s in the kitchen when he comes out of his room.

“I know it’s really early but I think I’m going to go ahead and turn in for the night.” he says, getting a glass of water.

“I think I am too. I usually turn the air down a little bit more at night, there should be extra blankets in your bathroom closet if you get cold.”

“Thank you. For everything. It really means a lot that you’re willing to let me stay like this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Kibum. I’m happy to help.”

Both of them get shy and Kibum slowly walks to his new room. He quickly says goodnight before closing the door. Minho gets himself a drink and goes back to his room as well. He checks his phone before getting into bed. The group chat had been going continuously since they’d left Kibum’s apartment, but he hasn’t bothered checking any of the messages. The three most recent are enough to tell him that nothing important has been said

 

_Chang: you should wear the boxers I got you this last Christmas he’ll definitely fall for those i guarantee it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

_Kyu: when was the last time donghae’s room was even cleaned is it even safe in there_

_Suho: I hope you know that if you get married and i’m not there that i will be distraught for the rest of our lives and haunt you for it forever._

 

He laughs at the absurdity of the whole day. As he gets into bed, it occurs to him that he might see Kibum’s sleepy face and he quickly falls asleep trying to imagine it.

 


	5. Two Weeks In.

Minho’s first alarm goes off at 6:30. For a year now, he’s worked on a two alarm system. The first turns on his radio; it’s loud enough that he starts to stir, but not enough to properly wake him up unless the song is obnoxious. The second alarm was a gift from Kyuhyun: a five minute recording of Changmin. Even Minho, the king of sleeping, isn’t immune to the oh so soothing sound of Changmin screaming “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? GET IT MOVING!!! THIS ISN’T NAP TIME, LET’S GET GOING BEFORE I GET OLD!” at the top of his lungs. Normally, the first alarm is just barely starts waking him up before Changmin so eloquently finishes the deal. Today though, the radio alone is enough. It’s partially because he’d gone to bed earlier than normal, but mostly because of Kibum. He wasn’t sure if it was nervousness or excitement that he was feeling; either way it was enough to keep him awake. He gets out of bed and makes sure to turn off Changmin’s lovely serenade. After searching for his basketball shorts, he goes into the kitchen with the hope that Kibum is still asleep. He’s not sure why the thought of seeing a barely awake Kibum excites him, but when he sees that he’s already up there’s a small feeling of disappointment. What doesn’t disappoint him, however, is the smell of whatever Kibum’s cooking. He walks over to check if the coffee maker has run yet.

“Did you sleep ok?” Minho asks.

“Yeah, I actually slept really well. Thanks.” Kibum says, not turning around from the stove. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a comfortable bed.”

They both turn to look at each other, but immediately turn back away.

“I’m making pancakes, I hope that’s ok. I just wanted to do something to say thank you for letting me stay here,” Kibum says.

“Oh, you didn’t have to go to that trouble, dude. I’m happy to let you stay, to help out a friend.”

When Kibum doesn’t respond, Minho’s worried that he’s upset him. He finishes starting the coffee before moving so he’s standing next to Kibum.

“I actually really love pancakes, I just feel bad making you feel like you have to do work your first morning here,” he says quietly. Kibum fishes the finished ones out of his pan onto a plate, pouring a new set to replace them. Minho takes the plate but doesn’t move.

“Go eat, before they get cold.” Kibum instructs.

“Kibum, you’re my guest. I can wait til you’re done and ready to eat.”

Kibum doesn’t argue but also doesn’t look up.

“Is this the last batch?”

Kibum nods.

“I’ll set the table then.”

Minho puts his plate of pancakes on the table. He gets butter out of the fridge; it takes him longer to find the syrup. The coffee maker beeps and he makes two mugs, handing one to Kibum. He leans against the counter and watches him attempt to flip the pancakes. There’s something vulnerable about the sight of Kibum: still in what Minho assumes are his pajamas but hair wet from a shower, struggling against one pancake in particular. His quietness reminds Minho of when they first met and the realization that he still knows relatively little about Kibum strikes him. Kibum finally wins his battle against the pancake and his small celebration brings a smile to Minho’s face. He could get used to waking up early, he thinks, if he got to wake up to this sight. With Kibum’s pancakes finished, they both sit at the table.

“So why did your last roommate move out?” Kibum asks as he cuts his pancakes.

“To put it shortly, he got engaged.”

“What’s the longly then?”

“My roommate, Donghae, and I have been friends for a long time. Since high school, actually. He’s a social worker. We moved in here 5 or so years ago, before we were done with school. We tend to volunteer together a lot since we have similar interests and abilities and stuff. Anyways, when I was part of that group that helped attempt to repair your apartment building, he was in it too. He was assigned to a different area, like the 3rd or 4th floor. When we finished and came home, all he could talk about was this doctor that he was teamed up with. How cute and interesting he was. They’d exchanged numbers and it was pretty evident pretty quick that there was something serious between them. They started dating within a week or two, and he started having him -- his name is Hyukjae -- over pretty regularly. Which was fine at first, but then it started feeling weird to be here when he was over. Anyways I mentioned it to Donghae that I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the arrangement and when Donghae mentioned it to him, Hyukjae proposed. They got an apartment within a month and it’s been just me here since then.”

Kibum nods, slowly eating his pancakes.

“What about you?” Minho asks, shoving a huge bite into his mouth.

“What about me?”

“Have you ever had a roommate?”

“I did once, when I was in college. He hated me.”

“I can’t believe that anyone would hate you but I also know college roommates are the worst. What happened?”

Kibum laughs bitterly.

“Well for starters he told me he hated me and that we wouldn’t get along on the first day. He then proceeded to vaguely terrorize me weekly with fun little pranks like stealing literally all of my clothes when I went to shower, throwing water on me if I happened to fall asleep while he was still awake, and stealing my textbooks on a regular basis. He was close to the resident assistant, so I couldn’t complain to her about it. The RA was close to the building supervisor, so I couldn’t go to her about it. The director of housing was on the brink of retiring and wouldn’t do anything unless the president of the university explicitly demanded that he do it, so I couldn’t go to him. I ended up buying my suitcase so I could lock all of my clothes and textbooks up and take them with me wherever I went. I slept on benches a lot and in my classes. I think a lot of people thought I was homeless, not that I can blame them.”

“That’s terrible, Kibum. I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”

Silence ensues. Minho’s surprised that Kibum gives him so much detail, though he feels guilty for asking. His expression is unmistakably pained throughout the story and Minho wishes he could offer something to ease it. He looks at the clock and knows they need to get ready to leave before they miss the bus. He’s finished his pancakes, but Kibum is still eating. He stands and takes his plate to the sink.

“Since you made me pancakes, would you accept if I made you lunch?” he asks as he heads to the fridge.

“Oh, you don’t have to. I’m...I’ll be ok.”

Minho grabs his supplies out and closes the fridge before looking at Kibum.

“Kibum,” he starts softly. “You didn’t bring any food with you, nothing’s going to be open before we get to work, and even though you’re admin today, I know you don’t have time to go get anything while you’re on your lunch break without sacrificing your entire break. I know you don’t want to be burdensome but I’d rather you have at least a little something to take with you.”

Kibum sighs and after another bite of pancake replies with “I guess a small sandwich would be okay. Like half of what you normally take will be fine.”

Minho begins making his sandwich at the counter but as he thinks back to Kibum’s story, he notices Kibum watching him. He moves to the table and Kibum looks somewhat relieved that he can see what’s going into the sandwiches.

“Are you going to come sit in the teacher lounge with me during your break?” he asks.

Kibum looks surprised at the question.

“I understand if you don't want to. It's just if you are, I’ll just put your stuff in with mine so you don’t have to worry about anyone taking it, and by anyone I mean Kyuhyun or Suho.”  
Kibum laughs.

“Yeah, I’ll come sit with you.”

*

Over time, their relationship gets more comfortable. When Minho comes home after volunteering on Saturday, he finds Kibum waiting at the dinner table with a pasta bake and a shy smile. On Sunday, they go grocery shopping. Minho makes a list, which Kibum refuses to add any requests to. As they walk down each aisle, anything that Kibum grabs Minho puts in his cart; when Kibum protests, Minho says that they can start sharing grocery bills when Kibum gets settled in. He also grabs anything that he sees Kibum longingly look at but not pick up. It costs a little extra to get so many treats, but the shy smile on Kibum’s face is more than worth the price. When they get home, they start cooking freezer meals for the week ahead. Minho’s surprised at Kibum’s cooking skills: Kibum reveals that he used to volunteer at a elderly care facility; he’d always wanted to learn how to cook so when there was a position open he jumped on it. Minho’s eager to try more of Kibum’s cooking and maybe learn how to get his onions to dice as nicely. Though there shouldn’t be anything charming watching someone washing and cutting potatoes, Minho is enchanted watching Kibum work, regardless.  By the next weekend, they figure out a system. Kibum offers to make their breakfasts if Minho will continue making lunches; their team work on freezer meals means that neither one has to put in more effort. Kibum will pay as close to half of the rent as he can manage and put money in the grocery fund as he can. In turn, Minho agrees to do his best to stop disallowing Kibum to pay for anything. With the ground rules settled, Minho watches Kibum start to allow himself to be. He spends more time in the living room and even makes mention of decorating his room. When Kibum starts asking for help with things like working the washing machine, Minho’s oddly elated. Though he tries not to let himself get his hopes up, it seems like a sign that Kibum is really intending to stay.

As happy as he is that Kibum feels comfortable at the apartment, Minho starts to doubt his own intentions. He continuously claims that it’s just ‘helping out a friend,’ but as he finds himself observing Kibum more and more, he starts to wonder if that’s the whole story. If it had been someone else, would he have volunteered his time and space and money so quickly? When he and Donghae had moved in together, though they shared the space they kept their time mostly separate. They didn’t cook for each other (unless they were hosting a get together); they didn’t watch each other shyly; they definitely didn’t have trouble making eye contact for more than a brief moment. He wants to ask Kibum how he feels about the situation, beyond the standard “is this ok?” and “how is this working for you?”, but he has a feeling that Kibum will just say what he thinks Minho wants to hear. Whether it’s for friendly motive or some desire to save him from whatever is troubling him, Kibum is here now. Minho just hopes that soon there’s a sign to let him know.

*

The sign comes the next Friday. Minho knows something is wrong when he comes out in the morning to a dark kitchen. It’s 7:00, so he’s not up early by any means; he’s also never seen Kibum sleep this late. He decides to give Kibum a few extra minutes: he starts the coffee maker, makes their lunches, even fixing a big omelette for them share. By the time 7:30 rolls around, he can’t stand it anymore. He taps on Kibum’s door. No answer. He knocks a little louder, calls out Kibum’s name. Still no answer. He tries the door and is somewhat surprised to find it unlocked; they’ve been working on trust since Kibum moved in. While Minho trusts Kibum, he knows that Kibum needs more time and evidence, so he lets Kibum decide the boundaries on his own time. He knows Kibum’s been locking his door since the first night, though he hasn’t directly talked to him about it. Minho feels a moment of pride: the unlocked door symbolized a big step for them. He opens the door just enough to peek in. The lights are still off and there’s a big lump on the bed that Minho assumes is Kibum. He softly calls out for him again before going in. He’s amused at the way that Kibum is cocooned in his blankets and feels guilty for trying to wake him up.

“Kibum, it’s time to get up. You’re going to be late if you sleep much longer.” he says, gently shaking his shoulder. Kibum’s warm to the touch, a little too warm for Minho’s liking. He sits down on the edge of the bed; he shakes a little harder and Kibum finally starts to stir. He blinks, coughs, and finally turns to look at Minho.

“Minho?”

“It’s 7:30 so I came to check on you.”

“It’s what time?” There’s a rasp to Kibum’s voice.

“Do you feel okay? You don’t look so good.” Minho asks, feeling Kibum’s forehead with the back of his hand. He’s very warm and Minho begins to wonder if he’s sick. It takes Kibum a moment to respond.

“I feel cold. And sore. And...and gross.”

“I’m going to go get the thermometer out of my room, okay? Just stay here.”

Kibum doesn’t respond, instead attempting to rearrange the blankets around himself. Minho’s glad that he and Donghae had started a first aid box and that Donghae let him keep it. He finds the thermometer quickly and heads back to Kibum’s room. Kibum’s all but asleep again.

“I’m going to take your temperature, okay? It’ll probably feel cold on your forehead but it’ll be quick I promise.”

Kibum attempts a hum in response, resulting in a cough. Minho’s suspicion is confirmed: Kibum’s temperature is 102℉. He knows Kibum’s in no shape to go to work but he also doesn’t want to leave him alone. At least it’s a Friday and there’ll be no need to find a substitute teacher. There’s a warmth on Minho’s hand and he sees Kibum trying to reach for him.

“I don’t think I can go to work today” he croaks. Minho laughs.

“No, Kibum. I think you should stay in bed today. Are you going to be okay if I go to work?”

There’s a pause and then a hummed yes.

“I’m going to bring you some water and crackers, is there anything else you want?”

Kibum makes a disgusted face at the mention of crackers but doesn’t request anything. Minho goes and gets the promised goods as well as an extra blanket from his room and the box of tissues from the living room. He arranges them on Kibum’s nightstand, then sits on the edge of the bed again.

“I put it all right here for you. I’ll keep my phone on in case you need me, but if you really need someone and you can’t get ahold of me, here’s the neighbor’s number as well. His name is Siwon and he’s really nice.”

Kibum reaches for him again and Minho holds his hand. He brushes Kibum’s bangs out of his eyes; he’s almost asleep again and Minho doesn’t want to keep him awake. He gives Kibum’s hand a gentle squeeze before standing.

“I’ll try to come check on you at lunch, alright?”

Kibum hums in acknowledgement before pulling the blanket over his head.

When Minho gets to school, he finds Leeteuk and explains the situation. He’s understanding and tells Minho that he’ll find someone to cover Minho’s class a little longer so that he can go home for lunch. Minho’s able to put his worry on the back burner in order to teach; it’s enough to fool his students but not enough to fool his coworkers. When he brings his students to the mixed use room for Jonghyun’s Friday Music Extravaganza, Jonghyun doesn’t waste any time asking what’s wrong. Minho doesn’t answer Jonghyun’s question but announces that Heechul (who has a half teaching, half administration position like Kibum does) will be getting the class.  He hurries out of the building and towards home. Unable to remember if they have soup or not, he stops at the restaurant a block from the apartment to order some. When he gets home, the apartment is still quiet. He puts a little bit of soup in a mug and, after knocking, ventures into Kibum’s room again. The blinds are open but Kibum is still mostly under the blankets. The crackers on the nightstand are untouched but Minho’s encouraged by the empty water glass. He sets the soup down and sits down. There’s a muffled “Minho?” from under the blankets followed by attempts to move them; Minho pulls the blankets back enough for Kibum’s face to be visible.

“Did you get some more sleep?”

Kibum nods, coughs.

“I brought you soup. Do you want to try a sip?”

There’s a pause, followed by a barely audible “what kind?”

“It’s beef bone soup. The lady at the corner always makes it and everyone I know swears that it has magical properties.”

Kibum wrinkles his nose but there’s a light in his eyes.

“That’s my favorite soup but I don’t think my tummy can handle it.”

“How about I put in the fridge for later and we try again when I get home.”

“Aren’t you home?”

“No, I’m on lunch break. Heechul is supposed to cover for me so I can make it back.”

“Oh.” There’s a tinge of sadness in Kibum’s voice. Minho grabs the thermometer off the nightstand. Kibum’s fever hasn’t budged.

“I’m going to put this up and get you more water and a tylenol.”

By the time Minho comes back from the kitchen, Kibum’s trying to pull off all his blankets.

“I’m hot now.”

Something in Minho’s brain urges him to say ‘I know’, but he just silently helps pull the blankets before arranging them on the side so that it’ll be easy to pull them back on when Kibum inevitably gets cold again. He checks his watch: his lunch break is technically ending and he needs to get back. He lets Kibum settle before saying a goodbye.

Though he does his best to clean up quickly, it’s still after 6pm by the time Minho gets home. Kibum’s sleeping, buried under his mountain of blankets again, so he lets him be. After heating up some of the soup -- who knows if Kibum will be able to eat it before it spoils and he hopes it’ll keep him running well enough that he won’t get whatever sickness this is -- he starts cleaning the apartment. He’s in the middle of washing dishes when he hears coughing, followed by the unmistakable sound of vomiting. After rinsing the dishes in his hand, he goes to check on Kibum. He’s in tears but it seems like he got most of the vomit in the bucket Minho had brought in for him.

“You alright, buddy?”

Kibum hiccups and shakes his head. Minho walks in further and realizes that somehow, Kibum’s gotten some of it in his hair. He sits as close as feels safe and reaches out his hand, which Kibum gingerly takes.

“I know throwing up isn’t any fun and it probably hurt, but it’s going to be okay,” he says in his most soothing voice. It’s times like these that being a kindergarten teacher is most convenient. He lets Kibum have his little cry, rubbing circles into the back of his hand.

“If I turn the water on for you, do you think you can manage to shower?” he asks when Kibum seems to have composed himself as much as possible. He takes a few deep breaths before shaking his head. Minho knows that Kibum needs to get cleaned, even if it’s just washing his hair.

“Do you think it’d be okay if I washed your hair for you?” he offers.

Kibum looks at him, seemingly unsure of what to make of it. Minho hopes he hasn’t crossed a line but it’s the only solution that seems realistic given the circumstances.

“I promise I’m not going to try anything weird. I just want you to be able to get better and I’m sure you’re ready to have clean hair again.”

“I...that should be okay.”

“Are you ready or do you need a minute?”

“Yeah just...just give me a second.”

Minho goes to stand to empty the bucket and get the hot water running, but when Kibum doesn’t let go of his hand he simply waits at the bed. Eventually Kibum hands him the bucket, which Minho sets down temporarily in order to help him stand. Once he’s on his feet, Minho guides him to the bathroom and helps him sit down next to the tub. Minho starts the water so it can warm up; he empties the bucket and gets a few towels while he’s waiting.

“Do you just use shampoo or do you like conditioner too?”

“I like both but at this point just shampoo is fine.”

After making sure the water is warm enough to be soothing, he positions Kibum so he’s leaning on the tub with his head far enough over that the water go down the drain instead of on the floor. He puts a towel on Kibum’s back, just in case; he notices how tensed his shoulders are and pats him reassuringly. As he starts wetting Kibum’s hair he wishes he’d thought to play some music. He’s not sure how Kibum’s head is, so he refrains from saying anything more than little warnings about using water and apologizing for the occasional hair pull. It’s not the first time he’s had to wash someone’s hair: over the course of their respective friendships, he’d washed Kyuhyun and Suho’s hair on more than a few occasions. He’d even washed Sooyoung’s hair after a particularly gross party foul, mostly because he was the only person that she knew there and she was too drunk to do it herself. There’s something different about it this time though, and as he does his best to get Kibum’s hair completely clean, a soft peaceful atmosphere develops. Kibum seems to enjoy it too, the tension slowly disappearing from his shoulders. When he’s done, he takes another towel and does his best to dry him off. Kibum sits up when he’s finished and takes the towel to dry his face off. Minho doesn’t think he’s ever seen someone look so cute when sick: Kibum’s cheeks are flushed from the fever and his half-dried hair is sticking out in all sorts of odd ways. He realizes he’s staring and looks away, but not before Kibum notices.

“Do I look that bad?” he asks, voice stronger than before.

“You don’t look well, but you don’t look bad.”

“So if I don’t look good but I also don’t look bad, what do I look like?”

Minho studies Kibum’s face a little more before answering, now that he has a proper reason to. Though everything about Kibum has become pretty to him in a way, his cheeks are what stand out right now. Though his fever worries him, Minho can’t deny that the pink hue it’s bringing to his face isn’t anything less than lovely.

“Like a peach.”

Kibum attempts a shy laugh and Minho hopes that somewhere under the fever flush he’s blushing.

“I’m going to go change your sheets, when you’re ready to get up just let me know.”

Kibum nods as Minho stands. As he strips the sheets off of Kibum’s bed, he figures he should was his own as well, shoving both sets in the washing machine. He hears another hiccup followed by what sounds like dry heaving. When he gets back to Kibum’s room, he takes his temperature again; it’s gone up half a degree. Kibum’s shivering now and so Minho replaces the towel around his shoulders with one of the warmer blankets. As he’s adjusting it, Kibum seems to reach for his hand but doesn’t take it. The heaving starts again, so Minho sits down next to him and rubs his back to try and keep him calm.

“If you want me to stop, just say.”

Kibum manages to squeak out a “please don’t stop’”, so Minho continues until the episode passes. From where he’s sitting, he can see the clock. It’s already 9pm; he gets up and finds his phone, letting the coordinator at his volunteer program know that he won’t be able to make it the next day.

“Are you going to bed?” Kibum asks, voice hushed. Minho would be lying if he said he wasn’t tired but he also knows that he’ll probably be too worried to sleep.

“Maybe. Do you want to lay down again?”

Kibum nods, then adds “But I don’t really want to be alone.”

Minho looks at Kibum’s bed; it’s a single, and while they could fit together on it, Kibum’s a little too sick for that. His own bed, though, is a double; room enough for the both of them (assuming Kibum doesn’t spread out too much) to sleep spaced out.

“Why don’t you come sleep in my room? My bed is bigger, so we could put pillows or something in between us. Then you’re not alone and I don’t keep getting up to check on you. I’ll be right there if you need me.”

Kibum looks at the floor, tilting his head.

“I...I think I’d like that. If it’s okay,” he says, looking up at Minho.

“Are you ready to move or do you need a bit?”

Kibum attempts to stand, but it’s clear that he isn’t strong enough for it. He reaches out for Minho who catches him. Kibum tries to stand and move a few times but after a minute or two, Minho simply carries him from one room to the other. He sets him down on the side of the bed nearer the bathroom then goes back to get Kibum’s pillow and things. He grabs all the extra pillows he has to put in between them. Once Kibum’s settled and the pillow wall is made, Minho takes what might be the quickest shower of his entire life. He’s surprised to see Kibum still awake when he comes out of the bathroom.

“My bed not as comfy as yours?”

“I was waiting for you to get back. If you’re going to let me sleep in your bed with you, I can at least wait til you’re in it to sleep. Now that you’re out I make no promises though.”

Minho laughs at the response and gets into bed.

“Thank you for taking care of me today,” Kibum whispers as Minho turns off the light main light. He had found a nightlight, also courtesy of Donghae, and plugged it in just in case Kibum needed to get up.

“You’re welcome. I can confidently say you’re the best patient I’ve had to take care of so far, seeing as you just slept most of the time and didn’t throw anything at me.”

“No one’s ever taken care of me like this before so I just tried to do what seemed easiest for both of us.”

Minho’s heart drops at the comment; he wants to ask more, but with Kibum’s fever he isn’t sure if he’d actually meant to share that information. Minho can’t tell if its the illness or if Kibum’s actually crying, but either way he reaches out in an attempt to find his hand. Kibum’s is already resting on the pillow wall and he wonders how long he’s been waiting. As he intertwines their fingers,  Kibum goes silent for a while and instead Minho begins humming a tune.

“What song is that?” Kibum asks when Minho reaches the end of it.

“A lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I would get sick. If it’s bothering you I can stop.”

“No, no. It’s...nice, actually. I like it. Your voice is nice. All of you is nice. Especially your personality and your hair.”

Minho’s heart flutters at the compliments and so he starts humming through it again. 

"Do I really look like a peach?" 

"Yes, Kibum. You have the pinkest peachiest fever I've ever seen."

Kibum seems satisfied with the answer. He starts shifting his head around, so Minho reaches over and moves his bangs out of his face. As he continues humming, he hears Kibum’s breathing slow and his grasp on Minho’s hand loosen. The nightlight is just bright enough that he can see Kibum’s chest rise and fall, and its in that moment that he reaches an epiphany. This whole time, all these weeks since they met, he’s been trying to figure out what makes Kibum’s company so special that he’d been willing to lay out everything for him. As he falls asleep, he thinks back to earlier in the day, to Kibum’s peach colored cheeks, and realizes that for him, in this moment, it’s love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be from Kibum's perspective, for those of you who are curious~


	6. Two Weeks In (Kibum ver)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the same as chapter 5, but just from Kibum's perspective ^^

Kibum’s surprised at how well he sleeps. Whether it’s the fact that he’s in a seemingly safe apartment or the fact that he’s sleeping in an actual bed, he feels more well rested than he has in weeks. He checks the time on his phone: it’s 5:45. Getting out of bed, he unlocks his door and peeks out into the apartment. He assumes that since all the lights are out that Minho is still asleep. He goes back in his room, figuring that he might as well shower. He’s overjoyed at the fact that there’s not only hot water but also that there’s little travel sized soaps from hotels in a little bucket on the counter. It’s been a while since he’s had soap that smelled so nice. When he finishes, he puts on cleaner pajamas; while he doesn’t want Minho to see him in pajamas quite yet, he’s more afraid of ruining his work clothes. When he goes into the kitchen, the lights are still off and Minho’s door is still shut. He begins poking around the cabinets and in the fridge. While Minho didn’t expressly say that he could eat anything, something inside of him tells him that he’d be more upset if he didn’t. He’s vaguely disappointed at the lack of breakfast foods he finds. He spots maple syrup hidden in the back of the fridge. The clock reads 6:10; plenty of time to make some thank-you-for-letting-me-stay-here pancakes. He mixes up the batter in a minute and quickly gets to work cooking them. If he’s lucky, Minho will sleep just long enough that they’ll be finished. To Kibum’s vague disappointment, Minho wakes up halfway through the cooking. When he comes out, he immediately goes to the coffee maker on the counter. Kibum feels bad for not trying to get it to work, but was also too afraid of breaking it to try.

“Did you sleep ok?” Minho asks, voice deep with sleep. Kibum wonders if he’s just woken up and if not, whether or not his voice gets any lower. He could get used to waking up early, he thinks, if he got to wake up to this sound.

“Yeah, I actually slept really well. Thanks. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a comfortable bed.”

They both turn to look at each other, but immediately turn back away.

“I’m making pancakes, I hope that’s ok. I just wanted to do something to say thank you for letting me stay here,” Kibum says. While he’d been sure that Minho would be okay with it before, now that he was out here Kibum wasn’t so sure.

“Oh, you didn’t have to go to that trouble, dude. I’m happy to let you stay, to help out a friend.” While there’s no malice in Minho’s voice, Kibum’s worry about whether or not pancakes were a good choice grows. When Minho finishes making his coffee, he moves so he’s standing next to Kibum.

“I actually really love pancakes,” he confesses quietly, “I just feel bad making you feel like you have to do work your first morning here.” Kibum fishes the finished pancakes out of his pan onto a plate, pouring a new set to replace them. He hands the plate to Minho, who takes it but doesn’t move.

“Go eat, before they get cold.” Kibum instructs.

“Kibum, you’re my guest. I can wait til you’re done and ready to eat.”

Kibum doesn’t argue but also doesn’t look up. He’s surprised and a little touched that Minho’s willing to wait but is also worried of what he might do if he has to wait long.

“Is this the last batch?”

Kibum nods.

“I’ll set the table then.”

As Minho moves around the kitchen to get condiments and utensils, Kibum attempts to will the pancakes to cook faster. He doesn’t want Minho to have to wait too long. In his haste, he forgets to regrease the pan and the pancakes stick when it gets to be time to flip them over. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Minho fixing coffee. He accepts the mug but remains uneasy as Minho watches him. He gets all but one pancake flipped and he fights the urge to curse at it. When he finally gets it flipped, he can’t help but celebrate. He sees Minho smile behind his coffee mug and he feels a bit lighter. Though it isn’t uncommon for Minho to smile -- as Suho had said, it was weird to see Minho without some sort of smile on his face -- there was something particular about this one that made Kibum feel warm. Smiles like that, Kibum could definitely learn to live with.  With Kibum’s pancakes finished, they both sit at the table.

“So why did your last roommate move out?” Kibum asks. While he’s glad for the empty room, he’s also curious about why someone would move out.

“To put it shortly, he got engaged.” Minho replies, cutting up his pancakes

“What’s the longly then?”

“My roommate, Donghae, and I have been friends for a long time. Since high school, actually. He works as a social worker. We moved in here 5 or so years ago, before we were done with school. We tend to volunteer together a lot since we have similar interests and abilities and stuff. Anyways, when I was part of that group that helped attempt to repair your apartment building, he was in it too. He was assigned to a different area, like the 3rd or 4th floor. When we finished and came home, all he could talk about was the guy that he was teamed up with. How cute and interesting he was. They’d exchanged numbers and it was pretty evident pretty quick that there was something serious between them. They started dating within a week or two, and he started having him -- his name is Hyukjae -- over pretty regularly. Which was fine at first, but then it started feeling weird to be here when he was over. Anyways I mentioned it to Donghae that I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the arrangement and when Donghae mentioned it to him, Hyukjae proposed. They got an apartment within a month and it’s been just me here since then.”

Kibum nods, slowly eating his pancakes.

“What about you?” Minho asks, shoving a huge bite into his mouth.

“What about me?”

“Have you ever had a roommate?”

“I did once, when I was in college. He hated me.”

“I can’t believe that anyone would hate you but I also know college roommates are the worst. What happened?”

Kibum laughs bitterly and before he can decide how much he’s willing to tell Minho about the situation the whole story is falling out of his mouth.

“Well for starters he told me he hated me and that we wouldn’t get along on the first day. He then proceeded to vaguely terrorize me weekly with fun little pranks like stealing literally all of my clothes when I went to shower, throwing water on me if I happened to fall asleep while he was still awake, and stealing my textbooks on a regular basis. He was close to the resident assistant, so I couldn’t complain to her about it. She was close to the building supervisor, so I couldn’t go to her about it. The director of housing was on the brink of retiring and wouldn’t do anything unless the president of the university explicitly demanded that he do it, so I couldn’t go to him. I ended up buying my suitcase so i could lock all of my clothes and textbooks up and take them with me wherever I went. I slept on benches a lot and in my classes. I think a lot of people thought I was homeless, not that I can blame them.”

“That’s terrible, Kibum. I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”

Silence ensues. Kibum shifts uneasily and attempts to stuff as much pancake in his mouth as he realistically can. What was he thinking, unloading all of this on Minho? He knows by the concerned look on Minho’s face that his own expression must be grim so he does his best to control it. After a few uncomfortable moments, Minho gets up and takes his plate to the sink.

“Since you made me pancakes, would you accept if I made you lunch?” he asks as he heads to the fridge.

“Oh, you don’t have to. I’m...I’ll be ok.”

Truth be told, Kibum doesn’t have any lunch plans. He’d had his last bit of food for lunch yesterday and since he didn’t get paid til Monday, his plan had been to just hide out in the administration lounge so he wouldn’t have to face Minho lunchless and then go to the food pantry after work. Minho grabs his supplies out and closes the fridge before looking at Kibum.

“Kibum,” he starts softly. “You didn’t bring any food with you, nothing’s going to be open before we get to work, and even though you’re admin today, I know you don’t have time to go get anything while you’re on your lunch break without sacrificing your entire break. I know you don’t want to be burdensome but I’d rather you have at least a little something to take with you.”

Kibum sighs. Though he doesn’t really know Minho, he knows him well enough that he can see that he won’t win this battle. After another bite of pancake, he concedes.

“I guess a small sandwich would be okay. Like half of what you normally take will be fine.”

Minho begins making his sandwich at the counter. Kibum’s grateful for the food, but he can’t help but be nervous as to what’s going into his sandwich versus what Minho’s putting in his own and tries to watch. Minho seems to notice, moving to the table much to Kibum’s relief. Now that he doesn’t have to worry about what’s going in, he uses the time to just watch Minho. There’s something charming about the way he focuses on putting each ingredient on the sandwich. He’s heard Kyuhyun and Suho rave about his sandwiches on more than one occasion and he’s quietly excited to finally try one.

“Are you going to come sit in the teacher lounge with me during your break?” Minho asks without looking up. Kibum is caught off guard by the question; no one’s ever asked him to sit with them.

“If you are, I’ll just put your stuff in with mine so you don’t have to worry about anyone taking it, and by anyone I mean Kyuhyun or Suho.”  
Kibum laughs.

“Yeah, I’ll come sit with you.”

*

Over time, their relationship gets more comfortable. Saturday night, Kibum does his best to make dinner for Minho. The pasta bake he makes is one of the first recipes he learned as a child and he’s pleased with how much Minho seems to like it. On Sunday they go grocery shopping. He intends on using his last bit of emergency money to buy his own groceries, but Minho pays for everything and more. He’s grateful for Minho’s kindness but is also worried about what he wants as payment. When they get home, they start cooking freezer meals for the upcoming week. It’s obvious that Minho’s cooking skills aren’t as strong as they could be, but Kibum finds his well-intentioned-but-sloppily-executed aid endearing. Minho listens with interest when Kibum shares the story of how he learned to cook; he can’t tell if his interest is genuine or feigned, but either way he enjoys sharing the story. By the next weekend, they figure out a system. Kibum offers to make their breakfasts if Minho will continue making lunches; their team work on freezer meals means that neither one has to put in more effort. Kibum will pay as close to half of the rent as he can manage and put money in the grocery fund as he can. In turn, Minho agrees to do his best to stop disallowing Kibum to pay for anything. With the ground rules settled, Kibum allows himself to finally set in. He spends more time out of his room, starts using the appliances without major worry, and leaves his books out on the coffee table in the living room without fear.

While he’s grateful for the room and for Minho’s kind company, the whole situation is weird for him. As a former latchkey kid, it’s odd to have someone around all the time. He feels like Minho’s watching him all the time, though he knows he’s also guilty of the same. He hasn’t relied on anyone but himself since he started elementary school and he’s not sure that he has the ability to do so at this point. Whether it’s by luck or the universe trying to teach him to finally trust at the age of 26, Kibum is here now. He just hopes that soon there’s a sign to let him know.

*

When Kibum wakes up, he’s cold. Very cold. There’s a hand on his shoulder and someone talking to him. He tries to move but his body feels incredibly heavy all of a sudden. He blinks, coughs, and turns to see that it’s Minho sitting on his bed.

“Minho?”

“It’s 7:30 so I came to check on you.” There’s concern in his voice, which troubles Kibum. 

“It’s what time?”

“Do you feel okay? You don’t look so good.” Minho asks, putting a hand to Kibum’s forehead. He takes a moment to assess how he feels.

“I feel cold. And sore. And...and gross.”

“I’m going to go get the thermometer out of my room, okay? Just stay here.”

Kibum tries to respond, but all he can think about is how cold he is.  He tries rearranging the blankets around himself while Minho’s gone. It takes forever for him to come back but just as Kibum feels himself start to fall back asleep, there’s a dip in the bed.

“I’m going to take your temperature, okay? It’ll probably feel cold on your forehead but it’ll be quick I promise.”

He tries to hum back a yes, but coughs instead. Minho doesn’t tell him what the thermometer says, but judging by his expression, it’s not a good number. Kibum reaches for Minho’s hand to get his attention.

“I don’t think I can go to work today” he croaks. Minho laughs.

“No, Kibum. I think you should stay in bed today. Are you going to be okay if I go to work?”

Kibum thinks about how he feels again. It’s just like old times, when both his parents would go to work regardless of how he feelt, so he hums a yes.

“I’m going to bring you some water and crackers, is there anything else you want?”

His stomach does a flip at the word crackers and he wrinkles his nose. He thinks he sees Minho smile before getting up to get whatever things he said he was going to get. At this point, all Kibum wants to do is be warm and go to sleep. He comes back with more things than he said he would bring and Kibum feels the bed dip again.

“I put it all right here for you. I’ll keep my phone on in case you need me, but if you really need someone and you can’t get ahold of me, here’s the neighbor’s number as well. His name is Siwon and he’s really nice.”

Kibum reaches for Minho’s hand again, and this time Minho holds it. Though he was sure he’d be okay alone just moments ago, he’s not so sure now. Either way, he’s sleepy and Minho’s fingers in his hair isn’t helping. There’s a squeeze on his hand and then Minho’s hand is gone.

“I’ll try to come check on you at lunch, alright?”

Kibum hums even though he’s too sleepy to understand what Minho’s saying anymore. He pulls the blanket over his head and as he hears the door click shut he decides that he doesn’t want to be alone but is too weak to call for Minho. He decides to sleep instead, hoping that Minho will be home soon.

 

The next time he wakes up, there’s clinking on his nightstand. It occurs to him that Minho must be home.

“Minho?” he tries calling out. He tries to move the blankets off his head but he’s too covered and can’t find his way out. Luckily Minho lends a hand and when he’s finally free of  his cocoon, he’s greeted by a soft smile.

“Did you get some more sleep?” Minho asks.

Kibum nods, coughs. He doesn’t feel any better but if Minho’s home then that’s okay enough.

“I brought you soup. Do you want to try a sip?”

It takes all of Kibum’s strength to whisper“what kind?”

“It’s beef bone soup. The lady at the corner store always makes it and everyone I know swears that it has magical properties.”

Kibum’s stomach does another flip and he wrinkles his nose again.

“That’s my favorite soup but I don’t think my tummy can handle it.”

“How about I put in the fridge for later and we try again when I get home.”

“Aren’t you home?”

“No, I’m on lunch break. Heechul is supposed to cover for me so I can make it back.”

“Oh.”

Kibum’s too tired to try and hide his disappointment that Minho has to leave again and does his best to pout as he takes his temperature. Minho’s face isn’t happy, so his fever is either the same or worse.

“I’m going to put this up and get you more water and a tylenol.”

The moment Minho’s out of the room, Kibum all of a sudden feels incredibly warm. He does his best to try to kick off the blankets but he’s too weak to do it. When he comes back, Minho helps pull them off. He arranges them so that they’re laying alongside Kibum instead of at the feet of the bed. Much easier to get into. He sees Minho check his watch and knows he has to leave again. Kibum does his best to get comfortable enough to sleep again before Minho leaves. When he hears the lock on the apartment door, he’s instantaneously cold again. He thanks Minho for putting the blankets to the side as he rolls into them, falling back asleep.

The third time Kibum wakes up, he’s alone. He can hear dishes clinking in the kitchen and takes it as a sign that Minho is home. Although he still doesn’t feel any better, he’s tired of being alone. He manuvears himself so that he’s sitting up. This proves to be a bad decision and before he knows it he’s reaching for the bucket Minho had brought for him. His grip on the bucket isn’t great; it slips out of his grasp and when he attempts to keep it from falling, he ends up dunking his head into it, getting vomit all into his hair. He’s crying by the time that Minho makes it in.

“You alright, buddy?”

Kibum hiccups and shakes his head. Minho walks in further and seems to assess the situation before sitting down. He offers Kibum his hand, which Kibum gingerly takes.

“I know throwing up isn’t any fun and it probably hurt, but it’s going to be okay,” he says in his kindergarten voice. He lets Kibum have his little cry, rubbing circles into the back of his hand. They both stay still until Kibum is able to sit up properly again.

“If I turn the water on for you, do you think you can manage to shower?”

Kibum takes deep breaths in an attempt to say ‘no’ before he simply shakes his head.

“Do you think it’d be okay if I washed your hair for you?” he offers.

Kibum turns to look at Minho. He’s never had anyone home to take care of him when he was sick, much less help him clean himself up.

“I promise I’m not going to try anything weird. I just want you to be able to get better and I’m sure you’re ready to have clean hair again.”

“I...that should be okay.”

“Are you ready or do you need a minute?”

“Yeah just...just give me a second.”

Minho stands, seemingly with the intention of emptying Kibum’s bucket, but he isn’t ready to let go yet. Minho doesn’t pull away but instead stays until Kibum lets go. He hands Minho the bucket, which gets set down on the ground before helping Kibum stand. Minho walks facing him, leading him to the bathroom. With Kibum’s hands on Minho’s shoulders and Minho’s hands on Kibum’s sides, it almost feels like dancing. Almost. Minho helps him sit on the floor and Kibum is content to lean against the tub as Minho gets water running and washes out the bucket. Though he’s mad that he’s sick and that Minho’s having to take care of him, he’s glad that it at least waited this long.

“Do you just use shampoo or do you like conditioner too?” Minho asks, putting a towel on Kibum’s back.

“I like both but at this point just shampoo is fine.”

When the water seems satisfactory, Minho kneels next to Kibum and helps him shift so that his head is properly over the side. The water is just warm enough to be soothing and when he feels Minho’s fingers on his scalp, he’s instantly relaxed. He enjoys having his hair washed so much that he’s almost glad that he threw up. Almost. If he died at this exact moment, he’d be okay with that, he decides. All too soon, Minho’s done and toweling him off. Kibum’s feeling well enough to sit up on his own and takes the towel to dry his face off. When he looks up, Minho’s looking at him with an affectionate smile. Kibum’s amused when he looks away quickly, as if he realizes he’s been caught.

“Do I look that bad?” he asks, voice stronger than before.

“You don’t look well, but you don’t look bad.”

“So if I don’t look good but I also don’t look bad, what do I look like?”

Minho studies his face again, the smile even warmer this time.

“Like a peach.”

Kibum attempts to laugh. It could be the fever, but the comment makes him feel warm.

“I’m going to go change your sheets, when you’re ready to get up just let me know.”

Kibum nods as Minho stands. He’s peaceful for a moment, but it’s quickly replaced with an immense cold feeling and dry heaving. Minho comes back with the thermometer, face once again disappointed. He brings a blanket to replace the towel around Kibum’s shoulders. Kibum’s grateful when Minho starts to rub his back.

“If you want me to stop, just say.”

Kibum manages to squeak out a “please don’t stop’” in between heaves, and he’s thankful when Minho continues until the episode passes. When it’s over, Minho grabs his phone to text someone.

“Are you going to bed?” Kibum asks, voice hushed. He’s slept all day but he’s still exhausted. He’s also worried about keeping Minho up, knowing that he worked all day.

“Maybe. Do you want to lay down again?”

Kibum nods, then adds “But I don’t really want to be alone.”

Minho looks out into Kibum’s room and Kibum’s worried that he’ll just leave him be again.

“Why don’t you come sleep in my room? My bed is bigger, so we could put pillows or something in between us. Then you’re not alone and I don’t keep getting up to check on you. I’ll be right there if you need me.”

Kibum looks at the floor, tilting his head.

“I...I think I’d like that. If it’s okay,” he says, looking up at Minho.

“Are you ready to move or do you need a bit?”

Kibum attempts to stand, but it’s clear that he isn’t strong enough for it. He reaches out for Minho who catches him. Kibum tries again to stand and move a few times but after a minute or two, Minho simply carries him from one room to the other. It takes Kibum by surprise, but in a pleasant way. Minho sets him down on the side of the bed nearer the bathroom then goes back to get Kibum’s pillow and things, grabbing all the extra pillows he has to put in between them. Once Kibum’s settled and the pillow wall is made, he goes to shower. As he lays in wait for Minho to get back out, Kibum does his best to reflect on things. Before he can get started, Minho’s already done.

“My bed not as comfy as yours?” Minho asks when he comes back into the room.

“I was waiting for you to get back. If you’re going to let me sleep in your bed with you, I can at least wait til you’re in it to sleep. Now that you’re out I make no promises though.”

Minho laughs at the response and gets into bed.

“Thank you for taking care of me today,” Kibum whispers as Minho turns off the light main light. He’s grateful for the nightlight that Minho found, though he’s not sure he’ll be able to get up by himself later to really need it. He reaches his hand out onto the pillow wall, hoping that somehow Minho realizes that it’s there.

“You’re welcome. I can confidently say you’re the best patient I’ve had to take care of so far, seeing as you just slept most of the time and didn’t throw anything at me.”

“No one’s ever taken care of me like this before so I just tried to do what seemed easiest for both of us.”

Kibum feels Minho’s hand find his, and he’s content. Eventually, Minho starts humming a tune. It’s incredibly soothing and somehow sounds familiar.

“What song is that?” Kibum asks when Minho reaches the end of it.

“A lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I would get sick. If it’s bothering you I can stop.”

“No, no. It’s...nice, actually. I like it. Your voice is nice. All of you is nice. Especially your personality and your hair.”

Kibum wants to say more but he stops himself; he is fevered, after all, and he doesn’t want to say too much that he’ll regret whenever he gets better. As Minho keeps singing, Kibum realizes that the only reason he can’t see him is because his bangs are in the way. He shifts his head around, trying to move them out of the way, and his heart flutters when Minho reaches over and brushes them away for him. Slowly he falls asleep to Minho’s humming.

 

When he wakes up again, it’s morning; there’s sunlight pouring in from the open blinds. He looks over to see Minho still sleeping and smiles. He watches Minho’s chest rise and fall, and in a moment reaches an epiphany. Since they’d met, Kibum had felt drawn to Minho. No one else had ever given him such a feeling of peace and belonging before and he’s been trying to figure out why he’s been willing to trust him to such a degree in so little time. The sunlight is just enough to soften his features and give him the appearance of a halo. There’s a warmth in his chest, and realizes that for him, in this moment, it’s love.


	7. Wine Night at Changmin and Kyuhyun's

When Suho arrives at Changmin and Kyuhyun’s apartment, Kibum and Minho haven’t arrived yet. Changmin answers the door excitedly but his face immediately shifts to disappointment.

“It’s just Suho, babe.” he calls to Kyuhyun.

“Oh so Minho gets an unofficial boyfriend and now I’m chopped liver?” Suho asks, handing Changmin the (required) bottle of wine in his hands. Changmin laughs at the comment and lets Suho pass him into the apartment.

“Suho you know I love you in the most non-romantic sense but this is literally better than any and every soap opera I’ve ever seen.” Kyuhyun says from the kitchen. Suho had come a little earlier than normal so Kyuhyun’s still finishing making the last of the snacks.

“Honestly though, I don’t think they could be any more oblivious to each other if they tried. Did he tell you about what happened when Kibum was sick??” Suho gushes, sitting on the couch facing Kyuhyun.

“You know, as a gay man in a gay relationship, I’ve seen and heard a lot of gay things during my life. And Minho taking care of Kibum and singing for him and holding his hand while sharing the same bed definitely takes the cake for the most unknowingly gay thing, if not just most generally gay thing.” Changmin states as he puts the wine in the fridge.

“If we’re encouraging them to be drunk together, you need to stay away from Minho, honey.” Kyuhyun reminds Changmin. “The last thing Kibum needs is to hear Minho gushing to me about how wonderful you are.”

“Honestly, if he’s not equally mushy with Kibum, I’m going to sue him for getting me emotionally involved for nothing.” Changmin states.

As they wait for them to arrive, the three recount their most cherished embarrassing memory of Minho. Though Minho and Changmin had been friends for a long time, it wasn’t until that Changmin and Kyuhyun had begun seriously dating that the four of them started getting together to drink. Usually, Minho would be the one to hold back and make sure that everyone got home safely. On one particular day though, Changmin took that responsibility. With a little encouragement, Minho had quickly gotten much drunker than the others. In his altered state, he confessed very sincerely that he’d long had more than friendly feelings for Changmin and that he was very heartbroken when he and Kyuhyun had started dating. He made it clear though that he was still fond of Kyuhyun and was doing his best to move on so they could all stay friends. The other three were surprised not only at the confession itself but also how selflessly he had taken the apparent heartbreak. Since then, their marker for whether or not Minho was drunk was how much attention he sought from Changmin; Suho is very interested to see if he still seeks Changmin out or if instead he turns his attention to Kibum.

 

Eventually, the two show up with two bottles of white wine. Per usual, Changmin is pouring while Kyuhyun gives his unnecessarily long spiels about the history and characteristics of the wine. Changmin makes sure to pour more wine into Minho and Kibum’s glasses; if they notice, they don’t say anything. Suho does his best to watch the two to see what happens while still being discreet. As one bottle turns into two bottles turns into three bottles, he watches them scooting closer together and glancing at each other. Soon enough, the two are completely wasted. They’re honestly an adorable sight: they’re sitting somewhat normally, though both are resting their heads on the back of the couch. Minho’s got his sweetest sappy drunk face going, eyesmiles and high cheeks at maximum, and Kibum looks the most relaxed that Suho’s ever seen, maybe even on the brink of happy; their cheeks are matching shades of pink. Minho holds his hand out and seems to be aiming for Kibum’s chin but misses and lands on his shoulder.

“Kibummie, you’re all peaches again. Pretty cheek peaches.” he drawls.

Kibum smiles and says an attempt at a thank you. Suho glances to where Kyuhyun’s supposedly rinsing glasses in the kitchen and sees him intently watching the romance attempt to unfold while Changmin keeps trying to coax kisses out of him. Both scenes are equally cute and hilarious to Suho, though he’s glad to have Kibum and Minho as something new and refreshing to watch. Changmin brings them glasses of water and Minho reaches for his hand.

“Changmin, you’re my friend favorite.” he says, giggling. Changmin smiles fondly.

“I know I’m your favorite friend, just don’t tell Kyuhyun, ok?” he whispers, holding a finger to his lips. Minho giggles again and mimics Changmin’s pose. Changmin goes back to the kitchen and Minho turns his affection back to Kibum.

“Kibummie,” he starts, patting Kibum’s shoulder. “You’re doing so good. It’s taken a tong lime to get settled but you’re a good teacher and if I was still in school I’d want you to my art teacher.” He continues on with how well Kibum’s doing and how good he looks now that he’s eating every day and other things that Suho stops listening to. Minho keeps laughing and every time he does, Kibum just beams and leans in closer to him. Kibum is just closing his eyes and letting the compliments wash over him, attempting thank yous after each one. It’s clear to him that the two of them are too sleepy now to make it back to their own apartment, so Suho goes to the kitchen to listen to the action plan Changmin’s making up. When it’s all said and done and everything is cleaned up, Changmin and Kyuhyun retire to their room. Suho’s doing his best to get comfortable on his couch. Kibum is on the other couch, already falling asleep. Minho, being the youngest and not able to fit on either couch to sleep, is on a sleeping bag on the floor between the two couches. Kibum’s arm is hanging over the side of the couch and Suho watches Minho reaching out to try and hold his hand.

“Minho, are you still awake?” he whispers.

“Mhm.”

“Be honest with me, do you like Kibum?”

There’s a pause, like Minho’s checking that Kibum’s really asleep.

“I do. I really do.”


End file.
